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Sweet nightingale persimmons with navel orange bavarois à la Mary Ellen

Sweet nightingale persimmons with navel orange bavarois à la Mary Ellen

Nightingale persimmons are a delicate treat. The caramelised tops are best achieved with the aid of a blowtorch so that the persimmon remains uncooked. The bavarois is a slight deviation from Stephanie Alexander’s recipe.

Sweet nightingale persimmons with navel orange bavarois à la Mary Ellen

Serves 8
Cooking Time Prep time 15 mins, cook 15 mins (plus setting, cooling)
4   nightingale persimmons
80 ml   vodka
110 gm   (½ cup) caster sugar
Navel orange bavarois à la Mary Ellen
200 ml   organic milk
125 gm   caster sugar
4   egg yolks
1   gelatine leaf (titanium strength), softened in cold water for 5 minutes
60 ml   (¼ cup) strained navel orange juice, 30ml pulp reserved
250 ml   (1 cup) organic cream, whisked to soft peaks


1 For navel orange bavarois à la Mary Ellen, warm milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves (1-2 minutes). Lightly whisk yolks in a heatproof bowl, then slowly whisk milk into yolks, return to saucepan and stir continuously over low-medium heat until mixture thickly coats the back of spoon (8-10 minutes). Transfer to an electric mixer, squeeze moisture out of gelatine, add to milk mixture, stir to dissolve, then beat mixture until cold (20-25 minutes). Add orange juice and reserved pulp, fold in cream and pour mixture into a 1 litre-capacity bowl and refrigerate until set (3-4 hours).
2 Cut persimmons in half. Place vodka in a shallow bowl and caster sugar on a plate. Dip persimmons cut-side down into vodka and press into sugar. Caramelise tops with a blowtorch until sugar browns and just starts to smoke (20-30 seconds). Dust with another layer of sugar and repeat (you don’t want to cook the persimmon – just caramelise the sugar). Serve with a quenelle of bavarois.


Drink Suggestion Young Rutherglen tokay.

RECIPE Hugh Wennerbom & Mary Ellen Hudson PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Dearnley STYLING Geraldine Munoz DRINK SUGGESTION Max Allen

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